MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I'm relying on you guys to update me while I sit in a car and wait for Green Flag to recover me to a garage....
High rate of attrition so far
Dawson my first thought was ‘Ben Youngs?’
then Kolbe
And Itohe amd Estabeth would be a handy pair of locks
Ford cracking under pressure?
We need some clear heads because the last thing we should be doing is giving SA scrums because we’re getting bummed there.
Let's just start playing from deep short simple passes. It's like the Harlem globe trotters at time
Well, to start this badly and be only 3 points down.....
England really need to up their game.
Youngs making poor passes and choices. He went right when he had Lawes vs Kolbe on his left from 3 metres.
How many phases..?!
SA defending is brilliant.
Silly penalties given away are killing us too.
Stop giving penalties away!
South African Loosehead KEEPS collapsing the scrum, but referee keeps blaming Dan Cole!
This is shit!!!
Easier said than done.
Done deal. I reckon we’re out of this. Our scrum now becomes a penalty magnet and all they have to do is kick from halfway. England also look half the team they were last week.
We will need two tries to win and our attack / backs look anonymous
If England stopped knocking on then there wouldn't be scrum pens. They are rattled and SA are stopping them play - all credit to SA
Not the half we wanted, need to stop giving scrums away as they have bought the ref on them. Can see Farrell moving to 10 soon.
England really need to up their game.
And their score too.
Right Dank we need uncontested scrums, take the plank out of tge bed and put your arm here!
Wood**** starts with a sly dig at Wales!! ****.
Old dog has it. Basic errors.
need to stop giving scrums away as they have bought the ref on them
No, they are just getting their heads shoved up their arses!
South African Loosehead KEEPS collapsing the scrum, but referee keeps blaming Dan Cole!
That’s weird because Cole is complaining about Mtwarira driving upwards. How can he collapse the scrum by driving up?
(Back in 2009 the Lions test hinged on scrum penalties given against Vickery. His opponent was Mtwarira. I remember complaining on here that Vickery couldn’t concede a scrum penalty when his feet weren’t on the floor!)
South African Loosehead KEEPS collapsing the scrum, but referee keeps blaming Dan Cole!
Why would SA collapse when they are going forward, England getting battered in scrums and lineout has had a few hiccups too. If the SA forwards dont tire or all break stopping England on the gainline England could be in trouble here.
Springbok shirts on today in our local bar here in Spain. If England were playing anyone else I'd be behind them, but today it's the Bokke.
England ARE in trouble here. Ben Spencer on at HT?
England scrum being humped here. Short of another 'injury' and uncontested scrums, not sure how they're going to get out of that.
Tight 40 minutes to come. SA currently forcing England's hand.
That England assault on the S.A. line, there were at least 5 penalties, 3 neck rolls and Faf intentionally offside. How that wasn’t a yellow I’ve no idea.
Could be in trouble I think we are. Seem to be struggling to catch as we're the Welsh. If anything I can see the saf scoring.
Am I missing something? Woodward "from the team that played Wales, this is a completely different side". It, looks much the same side to me. England commentators sneered about Wales style of play last week, SA's too, but a battered Wales side could only do what was feasible. SA have looked the more dangerous side when running the ball so far.
England were always going to say, "we haven't won the game yet, SA will up their game.. etc" - but it does look a bit like they expected to dominate and be in control throughout.
Again, you have to wonder if England can gain control once they've been rattled.
That England assault on the S.A. line, there were at least 5 penalties, 3 neck rolls and Faf intentionally offside. How that wasn’t a yellow I’ve no idea.
Because the ref didn’t see them, or didn’t consider them penalties. This is the same ref I complained about last week and was told not to. He is immensely inaccurate.
SA fans had actually raised a petition to stop him reffing the Welsh game!
Another unnecessary scrum, another pen
That England assault on the S.A. line, there were at least 5 penalties, 3 neck rolls and Faf intentionally offside. How that wasn’t a yellow I’ve no idea.
Garces must be good to get the shout, but SA appear fortunate to have had him for their past two games.
That’s it I reckon. The Boks have strangled the life out of us. Without the open spaces we’re devoid of ideas.
Still not at 50 mins, you guys can still do this!
That’s it I reckon. The Boks have strangled the life out of us. Without the open spaces we’re devoid of ideas.
That's worrying, there's no way Wales would mentally concede defeat at this point. England have more than enough in their bag to pull this around; they just need the mental strength.
imho of course
SA just better today - so it goes
That be that then.
Done. Goodbye World Cup and well done S.A. we’ve been outplayed.
All over, I think.
Beautifully set up try. (First ever for SA in a RWC final!!)
Well played S.A.
No way we’ll get two converted tries, well played SA
Oops
I do love a good forward pass-assisted try
Well played S.A. they had a game that totally nullified us and to add injury to insult we’ve been man shamed in the scrum.
Gatland was right...we played our final last week. We can’t deal with the pressure of being favourites etc but I guess the good news is the squad is largely young.
I was worried England peaked last week and that South Africa would kick us to death.........
Best team on the day are in front.
Well done S.A., best team winning.
Oh FFS!
Ok, I was wrong, not a bore-fest. SA actually playing really well.
Great try!
Well done SA.
Gutted
Saved our worst performance for the final 😔
That’s a hell of a score line in a WC final. SA have been very very good today.
We’ve barely been able to get Manu into the game. Well done SA.
Just absolutely out performed well deserved win.
Outclassed pure n simple
It makes Wales performance last week look impressive
Well done SA
It's a pity none of the South Africans would make a combined 15.
SA shown the world how to play in a final.
You give S.A. a lead you are in trouble. Too many mistakes, shaky scrum, hope Sinkler is ok?
IMO gave to much beating the All Blacks, were never going to get that intensity again.
Ok, I was wrong,
First team to win a World Cup having lost a game. Told you that Wales didn’t need to beat Australia. 😁
Well done SA.
Feel sad for the england players but soooo pleased that Eddie Jones hasnt won a world cup!
It’s a pity none of the South Africans would make a combined 15.
😂 harsh,too soon?
Hard luck England. It would have been great to have won, but getting to a final, comfortably beating Australia and NZ - quite an achievement!
Well played SA.
Looks like my nerves after listening to the BBC pod about SA were well placed. They’ve made a fair bit of history today. They played a very very good game that nullified all of our strengths and scored two great tries...we never really looked liked scoring.
Beating Aus/NZ/SA 3 in a row was always hard.
We will never know how much of an impact mentally losing Sinkler after 2 minutes had.
The big turning point for me was the tough kick Faz missed on about 50 min. We were 6 down at that point. The percentage play was put it in their 22.
He miseed, they kicked deep and got 3 points, then we had to chase the game.
Feel sad for the england players but soooo pleased that Eddie Jones hasnt won a world cup!
He was an assistant coach for SA during their 2007 victory... So technically, he already has!
Gutted that England just couldn't get it together today, fair play totally outplayed by a SA team that had done their homework. They destroyed England in the scrum, and didn't let England run the ball too much, and when England did get an opportunity to run it, their defence was impermeable!
2 world class tries too... I'm absolutely gutted as an England fan, but despite so many penalties (seriously, I think Jerome Garces is the most trigger happy ref in World Rugby right now!) it was actually a great game of Rugby if you were impartial.
The match was played on their terms, not ours, and we were never gonna out-Bok the 'Boks. I'd have been pissed off if we lost by three and it was all penalties, but they deserved those tries, and clearly the win.
mboy - certainly a better game than I feared.
Englands main issue apart from the scrums is the half backs! Youngs was poor today and so was Ford. Farrell no better when he moved to ten. How many times did Englands speedy back 3 get any ball in space? You have those attacking threats but they need ball! three training feild moves off lineouts blown as well with poor passing.
SA clearly better in all aspects of the game
Tj, agreed Youngs was poor. None of the backs could get into it on the end of erratic passing like that.
Would Cipriani have made a difference to that game 🤔🤔
Dunno? Does he have go-go-gadget arms, because that’s what anyone would need with passing like that.
There were a few points it could have gone the other way, but on balance S.A. simply outplayed England
Fantastic tournament overall. The Japanese team were amazing, really good for the sport to have them do so well. I don't think any other team were on the level of SA, England, and NZ. Pretty decent final, SA just played really well, deserving winners.
It isn’t an old English team, the spine of it will be back in 4 years. You can take heart from that.
Fantastic 2 tries at the end & great tournament overall.
England not great today but have a lot of brilliant players a lot of whom are young.
Fantastic tournament overall.
This. Thanks for everyone staying classy this morning. Good thread and banter in the main over the last few weeks and good luck to all the players from all teams going forward.
Brillant advert for Rugby.
It isn’t an old English team, the spine of it will be back in 4 years. You can take heart from that.
It isn’t an old S.A. team... 😁